My gaze sweeps the assembly, meeting eyes directly, establishing dominance without aggression.
“Selena, will you stand beside me, never beneath me. She is my equal, my partner, the only Luna I will ever acknowledge.” My voice drops lower, harder. “She is my second chance mate, she is mine, and anyone who disrespects her answers to me. This is not a request. This is law.”
The silence that follows is absolute. I can feel the weight of my words settling over the pack, the shift in their perception, not just of me, but of her. Of us.
Elder Miriam steps forward, offering the ceremonial Alpha heir medallion. As I take it, the weight of it familiar in my palm, I turn to Selena.
“Will you accept this path?” I ask her, my voice softening just for her. “To stand with me, to lead with me?”
Her eyes meet mine, clear and certain. “I do.”
The words ring with finality, with promise. I place the medallion around my neck, feeling the surge of pack magic flowing into me, through me, acknowledging me as Alpha heir once more. The pack erupts in cheers, wolves dropping to one knee in traditional submission to new leadership.
The ceremony concludes swiftly after that. The council retreats to discuss Candice’s warning about rogues, warriors are dispatched to strengthen borders, and the pack disperses with a new energy, hopeful but watchful.
I guide Selena through the crowd, acknowledging nods and congratulations with stoic grace, but my focus remains singular: getting her alone. The bond between us pulses, demanding we claim each other.
By the time we reach my quarters, our quarters now, the tension between us is nearly unbearable. The door closes behind us with a heavy thud, and suddenly we’re alone, the sounds of the pack celebration muffled by thick stone walls.
I watch her move into the center of the room, her steps measured, contained. She’s holding back, uncertain still of what this means, of where we stand. The bond flares between us, no longer a whisper but a shout, demanding acknowledgment.
“Selena,” I say, her name a prayer on my lips.
She turns to me, her eyes flashing silver in the dim light. “Alpha heir,” she replies, testing the word.
I close the distance between us in three strides, my hands coming up to frame her face. “No,” I murmur, my thumbs tracing her cheekbones. “Not to you. Never just that to you.”
Her breath catches. “Rylan, then.”
“Better.” I lean closer, our foreheads nearly touching. “But there’s something else I want to hear from your lips.”
Her pulse jumps beneath my fingers. “What?”
“Mate,” I breathe against her lips. “My mate. My equal. My everything.”
The bond surges at the word, and I can no longer hold back the truth I’ve been carrying.
“I’ve loved you since our first life,” I confess.
“Not because of fate. Because you were kind when you had every reason not to be. Because you were strong when the world tried to break you.”
I hold her gaze. “I love you. With everything I am.”
Her eyes widen, silver giving way to that unique silver that haunts my dreams. “I love you, too.”
I capture her mouth with mine, no longer gentle. The kiss is primal, claiming, my tongue seeking entrance which she grants with a soft moan.
My hands slide down her body, memorizing every curve, every shiver. Her breath hitches as I graze the underside of her breasts, thumbs circling her hardened nipples through the fabric of her dress. I can feel her heart pounding, her body heating with the same inferno raging within me.
“Mine,” I growl against her neck, my voice deeper, rougher than human. The wolf inside me claws to the surface, demanding to mark her, claim her, make her irrevocably ours. I can scent her arousal, a sweet aroma, a perfume that drives me wild.
I back her toward the bed, never breaking contact. Our breaths mingle, hers coming in short gasps as my hands grip her hips, grinding her against the hard length of me. “I need to mark you,” I rasp, my breath hot against her ear. “Need everyone to know you’re mine.” Her body melts against me, surrendering to my dominance.
Her pulse quickens beneath my lips as I trail kisses down her throat, one hand cupping her breast, the other slipping beneath her skirt to tease her wet core. She cries out, bucking against my touch. “Yes,” she whispers, tilting her head to expose more of her neck, an offering, a surrender.
I lift her effortlessly, laying her across the furs covering my bed. Our bed. My hands make quick work of her clothing, revealing skin I’ve hungered to touch for too long. She reaches for me, but I catch her wrists, pinning them above her head with one hand. With the other,I trace the curve of her breast, leaning down to capture one taut peak in my mouth, sucking hard before releasing it with a pop.
“Not yet,” I command, voice thick with desire. “Let me worship you first.” I dip my head lower, inhaling her scent deeply as I hook her leg over my shoulder, opening her to me. My tongue finds her hot center, lapping at her clit, savoring each gasp, each arch of her spine. Her taste is intoxicating, addictive. I feast on her, growling low in my chest as she writhes beneath me, begging for release.
